diff --git a/kafka/conn.py b/kafka/conn.py
index 30debec06..ea55481d9 100644
--- a/kafka/conn.py
+++ b/kafka/conn.py
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ def __init__(self, host, port, timeout=DEFAULT_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_SECONDS):
 
         self.reinit()
 
+    def __getnewargs__(self):
+        return (self.host, self.port, self.timeout)
+
     def __repr__(self):
         return "<KafkaConnection host=%s port=%d>" % (self.host, self.port)
 
diff --git a/kafka/producer/base.py b/kafka/producer/base.py
index 5b41bc9d2..357bccd74 100644
--- a/kafka/producer/base.py
+++ b/kafka/producer/base.py
@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@
 import time
 
 try:
-    from queue import Empty
+    from queue import Empty, Queue
 except ImportError:
-    from Queue import Empty
+    from Queue import Empty, Queue
 from collections import defaultdict
-from multiprocessing import Queue, Process
+
+from threading import Thread, Event
 
 import six
 
@@ -26,20 +27,15 @@
 
 
 def _send_upstream(queue, client, codec, batch_time, batch_size,
-                   req_acks, ack_timeout):
+                   req_acks, ack_timeout, stop_event):
     """
     Listen on the queue for a specified number of messages or till
     a specified timeout and send them upstream to the brokers in one
     request
-
-    NOTE: Ideally, this should have been a method inside the Producer
-    class. However, multiprocessing module has issues in windows. The
-    functionality breaks unless this function is kept outside of a class
     """
     stop = False
-    client.reinit()
 
-    while not stop:
+    while not stop_event.is_set():
         timeout = batch_time
         count = batch_size
         send_at = time.time() + timeout
@@ -56,7 +52,7 @@ def _send_upstream(queue, client, codec, batch_time, batch_size,
 
             # Check if the controller has requested us to stop
             if topic_partition == STOP_ASYNC_PRODUCER:
-                stop = True
+                stop_event.set()
                 break
 
             # Adjust the timeout to match the remaining period
@@ -140,18 +136,22 @@ def __init__(self, client, async=False,
             log.warning("Current implementation does not retry Failed messages")
             log.warning("Use at your own risk! (or help improve with a PR!)")
             self.queue = Queue()  # Messages are sent through this queue
-            self.proc = Process(target=_send_upstream,
-                                args=(self.queue,
-                                      self.client.copy(),
-                                      self.codec,
-                                      batch_send_every_t,
-                                      batch_send_every_n,
-                                      self.req_acks,
-                                      self.ack_timeout))
-
-            # Process will die if main thread exits
-            self.proc.daemon = True
-            self.proc.start()
+            self.thread_stop_event = Event()
+            self.thread = Thread(target=_send_upstream,
+                                 args=(self.queue,
+                                       self.client.copy(),
+                                       self.codec,
+                                       batch_send_every_t,
+                                       batch_send_every_n,
+                                       self.req_acks,
+                                       self.ack_timeout,
+                                       self.thread_stop_event))
+
+            # Thread will die if main thread exits
+            self.thread.daemon = True
+            self.thread.start()
+
+
 
     def send_messages(self, topic, partition, *msg):
         """
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ def stop(self, timeout=1):
         """
         if self.async:
             self.queue.put((STOP_ASYNC_PRODUCER, None, None))
-            self.proc.join(timeout)
+            self.thread.join(timeout)
 
-            if self.proc.is_alive():
-                self.proc.terminate()
+            if self.thread.is_alive():
+                self.thread_stop_event.set()
diff --git a/test/test_conn.py b/test/test_conn.py
index 2c8f3b290..c4f219bab 100644
--- a/test/test_conn.py
+++ b/test/test_conn.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import socket
 import struct
+from threading import Thread
 
 import mock
 from . import unittest
@@ -162,3 +163,46 @@ def test_close__object_is_reusable(self):
         self.conn.send(self.config['request_id'], self.config['payload'])
         self.assertEqual(self.MockCreateConn.call_count, 1)
         self.conn._sock.sendall.assert_called_with(self.config['payload'])
+
+
+class TestKafkaConnection(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    @mock.patch('socket.create_connection')
+    def test_copy(self, socket):
+        """KafkaConnection copies work as expected"""
+
+        conn = KafkaConnection('kafka', 9092)
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 1)
+
+        copy = conn.copy()
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 1)
+        self.assertEqual(copy.host, 'kafka')
+        self.assertEqual(copy.port, 9092)
+        self.assertEqual(copy._sock, None)
+
+        copy.reinit()
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 2)
+        self.assertNotEqual(copy._sock, None)
+
+    @mock.patch('socket.create_connection')
+    def test_copy_thread(self, socket):
+        """KafkaConnection copies work in other threads"""
+
+        err = []
+        copy = KafkaConnection('kafka', 9092).copy()
+
+        def thread_func(err, copy):
+            try:
+                self.assertEqual(copy.host, 'kafka')
+                self.assertEqual(copy.port, 9092)
+                self.assertNotEqual(copy._sock, None)
+            except Exception as e:
+                err.append(e)
+            else:
+                err.append(None)
+        thread = Thread(target=thread_func, args=(err, copy))
+        thread.start()
+        thread.join()
+
+        self.assertEqual(err, [None])
+        self.assertEqual(socket.call_count, 2)